Newcastle researchers involved in green power station

Newcastle University researchers are playing a key role in a demonstration project in Central Queensland that aims to greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Power Stations.

The project at the Callide power station will burn coal using oxy-fuel combustion, making it easier to store large amounts of CO2 and preventing emissions escaping into the atmosphere.

Commissioning of the plant has now commenced and it is expected to be fully operating by the end of the year.

Deputy-Director of the University's Priority Research Centre for Energy Professor Behdad Moghtaderi says the technology to make large volumes of oxygen for the plant was developed by local researchers.

"To launch any clean coal technology like oxy-fuel you need oxygen to start with," he said.

"Therefore we developed this particular technology which allows us to generate larger scale or large volumes of oxygen at fairly low energy intensity and low cost thereby."

The researchers are also developing technologies as part of a Federal Government program to prevent methane emissions from coal mines escaping into the atmosphere.

The $70 million coal mining abatement technology support package is designed to help mines reduce emissions especially from underground operations.

Professor Moghtaderi says there is an inherent risk when dealing with methane which is why there is a major focus on safety.

"In fact one of the flagship projects is actually one the safety aspect of ventilation air metering," he said.

"There are are range of other measures and innovations that you can put in place to minimise the risk of any safety issue and we are quite active in that area. That will be a project as part of this exercise for us."